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Candace Calloway Whiting has studied and trained dolphins, seals, and orca whales. She is currently a volunteer at the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..

Saving the Oceans, Saving Ourselves – an Hawaiian Approach

Leaders in Hawaii from diverse backgrounds are sharing their vision in volunteer training sessions on how to resolve the ecological challenges that face humanity as we desperately search for answers to climate change and marine species extinction. Their message is both succinct and complex, and it boils down to us embracing our differences and learning to live within our means. Last night I took the first of a series of workshops on the subject.

When the elevator doors opened into the suite of rooms at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary I stepped into a fresh and dynamic space. All of my preconceived notions immediately left with the elevator as it departed, along with all the frets caused by a day too jam-packed with errands. With no time for dinner, I’d run into Starbucks and snagged a salad which was slowly going limp in my bag as I raced to attend what I thought would be pretty basic coverage of what I already knew.

But the workshop on Ocean Awareness is required before you can volunteer for programs designed to help some of Hawaii’s endangered species, and my deep respect for anyone who mobilizes to help the oceans and its creatures motivated me to go along, take the classes, and start volunteering. As a government institution NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) – which sponsors the Ocean Awareness Training (OAT) – has historically been a cumbersome, lumbering government body in the department of commerce, often immobilized by the conflict between commercial interests and environmental interests. But last night’s workshop proved that NOAA has the ability to reinvent itself and look for new solutions.

The physical space felt like an art gallery with its huge, stunningly simple photos of marine life against the stark walls – a very effective reminder of what has drawn such a diverse array on interests together – but what was most significant was the tenor and energy of the group leaders. It was immediately clear that they were motivated by passions for the ocean, and I am sure that every workshop attendee felt charged and optimistic within minutes.

There was nothing old-school about any of it, from the creative coming together of private, educational, and government resources, to the embracing of Hawaiian values.

Maunalua Bay Watershed (Malamamaunalua.org)

The kick-off presentation was about the ongoing struggle to save one of Oahu’s gentle bays, Maunalua Bay, which had been gradually smothered by invasive seaweed fed by runoff due to overdevelopment, before serious and continuing steps were taken to bring the seaweed under control. Because I had the good fortune to stay with friends there while looking for a permanent place to live, I often encountered the volunteers who showed up to pull the seaweed when I took my dog on his daily early morning beach walk, and always got the feeling that the volunteers were every bit as relentless in removal as the seaweed is in growing. After the talk last night, I’d say the seaweed doesn’t stand a chance in the long run.

On those same walks I often met local fishermen, and from them I learned the Hawaiian names of a few of the fish, and got glimpses into the Hawaiian way of living with the ocean. Sometimes they would be down at the beach at first light, studying the behavior of the bait fish (which told them which bigger fish might be there) before deciding on where and when to fish. Other times I would talk to the spear fishermen, and they would show me their catches and explain how they looked for signs of spawning. I never witnessed anyone taking too much, and often they went home empty-handed – and I learned last night that illegal fishing is a huge problem (and probably the reason that the responsible fishermen had trouble).

(Photo by author, 2007, Oahu)

Fundamental to the Ocean Awareness training was the energizing and embracing presentation on Ahupua’a, the Hawaiian system for living fully in allotted resources, and on native Hawaiian values. We broke into small groups and learned, by writing and drawing exercises, that these values underlie the warmth and strength of the Hawaiian culture, a culture that has much to offer.

We learned that Hawaii is the original evolutionary point for some species of reef fish. (Photo courtesy blogs.roanoke.com)

The final talk of the evening was on Hawaiian reef ecology, and stressed that reefs everywhere, as in Maunalua Bay, are part of the larger ecology…and that we humans are just another species having an impact, intended or not. Briefly mentioned were global warming and ocean acidification, and the advice given to help fix things was simply to tread lightly, live simply and leave a small footprint. The speaker quietly reminded us that the oceans would be just fine without us, but not the other way around.

Or as the Hawaiians put it, live ‘pono’, to “consider all persons, relationships, and present situations when making decisions.”

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..

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